Quiz: Howstuffworks

Build an Engine and We'll Tell You Which State You Should Live In

Steven Miller

Image: Shutterstock

About This Quiz

Are you a Saturday mechanic? Do you spend the weekdays dreaming of the weekend, when you can dedicate each waking hour to your "baby"? If your idea of a rocking Saturday night is spending it in the garage building and rebuilding your car's engine, then this quiz is for you. Answer these 30 questions, and we'll tell you which state you should live in.

Building or rebuilding a car engine is a pursuit that requires a certain personality and level of dedication. It's not just for the faint-hearted. And it's not for your average backyard mechanic. If you've ever built an engine, you know that the likelihood you'll have a few screws left over is higher than you'd like it to be, but you also know that it takes a special kind of motorhead to figure out where those rebel screws belong. And the type of engine you elect to put into your baby also says a lot about you.

We've compiled a list of 30 questions that will say enough about you as a person for us to figure out what state you should live in. Do you think you currently live in the right state, or should you start packing?

Let's find out.

How many cylinders will your engine have?

More than eight.

It won't have any.

Six.

Eight.

How many cubic centimeters?

1500cc or so.

1000cc or so.

That number doesn't really apply here.

More than 1500cc.

Will you consider putting in an electric motor?

That's totally what I'm doing.

Maybe someday later, but I'm not convinced in them yet.

No way.

I might. They sure are fast off the line.

Are you more interested in fuel efficiency or speed?

I don't mind sacrificing some fuel efficiency for an extra kick.

I want a good mix of the two.

Speed.

Fuel efficiency.

Will you invest in a high-flow cat-back exhaust system?

I doubt that I'll invest in something like that, but I'm not telling you if I do anyways.

That won't be necessary at all.

If it makes me go faster, sure.

Absolutely.

Do you plan to do any racing with this engine?

Oh yeah, that's what this is all about.

Yeah, but it'll be out on the street.

Not as far as you know.

I don't plan on doing any racing with this engine.

Will you invest in a performance computer chip or programmer?

That is a given.

There's no way.

I doubt it.

There's a good chance that I will.

What kind of vehicle is this engine going into?

Racing car.

Sedan.

Small, lightweight car.

Truck or other style.

Will you invest in an aftermarket exhaust header to increase horsepower and torque?

That won't be necessary at all.

I don't think I will.

There's no doubt that I will.

There's a very good chance that I'll invest in aftermarket headers.

Will you invest in performance tires?

Nah, I'm going to tear them up so fast that I'll go with standard tires.

Nope.

Yup.

I could definitely see myself doing that, especially if it improves efficiency.

Will you have a performance cold air intake on your engine?

Nah, that would probably just be overkill.

That's not something that would help my engine.

That's on my wish list, for sure.

Of course, that's a must-have.

Are you going to get some racing pedals?

I might as well.

That's just window dressing. No thanks.

That's way down on my priority list.

I suppose it's possible, but it's unlikely that I will.

Will you put in a larger diameter throttle body in your system?

Oh yeah, I'm pushing the limits on that one.

No need.

I can't imagine that I would.

I probably will.

Will you lower or raise your vehicle?

I want to be able to adjust the height with the push of a button.

I might go for a bit of a low-rider.

I have no desire to adjust the height of my vehicle.

I'm gonna raise that thing way up in the air.

Will your engine have a forced induction supercharger or turbocharger?

That would be a total waste.

I'm not telling you that.

You know it.

If I have money left in the budget, I'd love to add that.

Will your engine be standard for your vehicle or will you go with one meant for a different car?

I'm putting in an engine that was meant for a much bigger car.

It will be the engine that was meant to be in the car.

It will be an engine that was meant for a slightly larger vehicle.

I'm putting revolutionary technology in my vehicle.

How concerned are you about reducing emissions in your engine design?

That's part of the equation, for sure.

That is my top priority.

I'd put that pretty far down on my priority list.

I don't care about that at all.

Are you going to have additional exterior or interior lights on your ride?

I might do a bit of custom lighting.

I'll probably throw some fog lights on there.

I think the standard lights will be fine.

I'll likely add some neon LED lighting to my ride.

Will your engine be something that would roll off a factory line or a completely custom job?

This is a total custom job. Only people I really trust are going to see what I've done under the hood.

It would come out of a factory, but it would be an electric car factory.

My engine is coming right off the factory floor.

There will be some custom modifications.

How loud will your sound system be?

I'm going to add a few speakers in there. It has to be loud enough to be heard over that roaring engine.

I'll just have the standard speaker system in there.

It will be pretty quiet.

My sound system is going to be deafening.

How much do government regulations cramp your style in designing an engine?

I welcome those restrictions.

That's not something I worry about.

It would if I actually paid attention to that garbage.

It definitely limits me.

Are you going to have an automatic or a manual transmission?

I only drive manual transmissions.

It will definitely be an automatic.

I like an automatic for most applications, but I need a manual for this one.

It won't have a traditional transmission in it.

Would your car pass a smog check?

It probably would, but I'm glad I don't have to worry about that.

Yes, with flying colors. It might even be exempt from such tests.

Heck, no.

Probably not, but I couldn't care less.

Will your car have a performance carburetor?

That's an absolute must.

I might throw one of those in there.

Nah, that's way too much for my ride.

It won't have any carburetor.

How loud is that thing going to be?

I might shatter some windows in the neighborhood.

You won't even know that it's running.

It will be pretty quiet.

It's going to be louder than most vehicles.

Are you going to upgrade your fuel injectors?

That's a tricky one, but I'll probably go for it.

I'm not messing around with anything like that.

This is not applicable to my engine.

I'm guessing it will take a while to dial it all in, but I'll definitely give it a go.

Will there be an intercooler on board?

There is no need for that.

Nope.

Of course, you have to have that with a supercharger.

Yeah, I don't want to be wasting fuel with my turbocharger.

Will your system have a water/methanol injection feature?

I'll experiment with that.

Nope.

I've heard that they give you a slight edge. I'll check it out.

As continues to be the theme here, that doesn't apply to my engine.

How concerned are you going to be about making the vehicle as light as possible?

I'm just going with standard stuff from the factory, so it's not something I'm thinking about.

I definitely want to limit weight for fuel efficiency reasons.

Yeah, but it's all about finding the right balance between power and weight.

Not really. I want something more like a tank.

Would you be more nervous about getting ticketed for your engine mods if you crossed into California?

I'm definitely going to be praying that they don't look under the hood.

I would be, but I have no plans of ever doing that.

Not really, this is all stuff from the manufacturer.

Not at all. My vehicle would meet all California regulations. They might even give me a tax refund.

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